Phoenician, Moabite, and Assyrian, but in no other of the kindred dialects;[1] from the latter the suffixes are derived (§ 33). The ô most probably results from an obscuring of an original â (cf. Aram. אֲנָא, Arab. ’ána). The pausal form אָ֫נִי occurs not only with small disjunctive accents, but even with conjunctives; so always in חַי אָ֫נִי as I live! also Is 49 with Munaḥ, ψ 119 with Merkha (which, however, has been altered from Deḥî), and twice in Mal 1. In all these cases there is manifestly a disagreement between the vocalization already established and the special laws regulating the system of accentuation.
[d] 2. The formation of the plural, in this and the other persons, exhibits a certain analogy with that of the noun, while at the same time (like the pronouns of other languages) it is characterized by many differences and peculiarities. The short form (אָנוּ) אנו from which the suffix is derived occurs only in Jer 42 Kethîbh. The form נַ֫חְנוּ (cf. § 19 h) only in Ex 16, Nu 32, La 3; נָחְ֑נוּ in pause, Gn 42; in Arabic năḥnu is the regular form. In the Mišna (אָנוּ) אנו has altogether supplanted the longer forms.
[e] 3. The pronoun of the 1st person only is, as a rule in languages, of the common gender, because the person who is present and speaking needs no further indication of gender, as does the 2nd person, who is addressed (in Greek, Latin, English, &c., this distinction is also lacking), and still more the 3rd person who is absent.
II. Second Person.
[f] 4. The forms of the 2nd person אַתָּה, אַתְּ, אַתֶּם, אַתֵּ֫נָה, &c., are contracted from ’antā, &c. The kindred languages have retained the n before the ת, e.g. Arab. ’ántā, fem. ’ánti, thou; pl. ’ántum, fem. ’antúnna, ye. In Syriac אַנת, fem. אַנתי are written, but both are pronounced ’at. In Western Aramaic אַנְתְּ is usual for both genders.
[g] אַתָּ (without ה) occurs five times, e.g. ψ 6, always as Kethîbh, with אַתָּה as Qerê. In three places אַתְּ appears as a masculine, Nu 11, Dt 5, Ez 28.
[h] The feminine form was originally אַתִּי as in Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic. This form is found seven times as Kethîbh (Ju 17, 1 K 14, 2 K 4, 8, Jer 4, Ez 36) and appears also in the corresponding personal ending of verbs (see § 44 f), especially, and necessarily, before suffixes, as קְטַלְתִּ֫ינִי, § 59 a [c]; cf. also î as the ending of the 2nd fem. sing. of the imperative and imperfect. The final î was, however, gradually dropped in pronunciation, just as in Syriac (see above, f) it was eventually only written, not pronounced. The י therefore finally disappeared (cf. § 10 k), and hence the Masoretes, even in these seven passages, have pointed the word in the text as אַתְּי to indicate the Qerê אַתְּ (see § 17). The same final ־ִי appears in the rare (Aramaic) forms of the suffix ־ֵ֫ כִי, ־ַ֫ יְכִי (§§ 58, 91).
[i] 5. The plurals אַתֶּם (with the second vowel assimilated to the fem. form) and (אַתֶּן) אַתֵּן, with the tone on the ultima, only partially correspond to the assumed ground-forms ʾantumū, fem. ʾantinnā, Arab. ʾắntŭm (Aram. אַתּוּן, אַנְתּוּן) and ʾăntú̆nna (Aram. אַתֵּין, אַנְתֵּין). The form אַתֵּן is found only in Ez 34 (so Qimḥi expressly, others אַתֶּן); אַתֵּ֫נָה (for which some MSS. have
- ↑ In Phoenician and Moabite (inscription of Mêšaʿ, line 1) it is written אנך, without the final ־ִי. In Punic it was pronounced anec (Plaut. Poen. 5, 1, 8) or anech (5, 2, 35). Cf. Schröder, Phöniz. Sprache, p. 143. In Assyrian the corresponding form is anaku, in old Egyptian anek, Coptic anok, nok.
